There is always something special about conducting a work based on Shakespeare’s
writing. His words provide something more. They make the atmosphere clearer, the
characters become more real, and a complicated drama seem so simple. His words
are perfect for music.
To my ear Bloch’s music is raw, visceral, and dramatic. Pieces like
Schelomo
, and
Three
Jewish Poems
have the ability to stir and inspire the human spirit. It is not only the
melody we are feeling, but also his effective use of other compositional tools. Bloch’s
use of orchestration, rhythm, harmony, and his sense of timing all serve to heighten
our experience. His music is perfect for words.
As I began my research I was very interested to read of the long and arduous
process Bloch endured to complete his Macbeth, and just how many distractions
he had during that time. I took my score, and my curiosity, to the piano and quickly
discovered a work written with an incredibly coherent musical language. The most
consistent element is the pulse of the opera. Like the story, the music rarely lets
you rest. The rhythms are constantly moving forward, and avoid a comfortable
meter, especially underneath the text. Much like Wagner, whose operas he ardently
admired, Bloch uses leitmotifs throughout the score and recreates various moods
with similar orchestral effects as a way to remind the audience of something. The
orchestral writing is so connected to the drama that the orchestra seamlessly
becomes a narrator during the interludes.
While playing through the work I came to an intriguing conclusion in regard to the
musical language and construction of this piece: Bloch lavished more melody upon
the orchestra than he did the singers. Bloch uses the orchestra to create atmosphere,
describe a scene, and open our senses to the characters and drama. Meanwhile, the
singers deliver the text in a more natural, raw way, much like a Shakespearian actor
would. This is not to say that the setting of the text is ineffective; one never feels like
there is a lack of melody, or that the drama is moving too slowly. On the contrary,
Bloch creates a dramatic reading of the text by primarily using the natural flow of the
language, and enhancing it with appropriate vocal movements. The result is a very
unique and effective way of fusing the text and the music together. The one needs
the other.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” becomes “Music is text, and text is music”.
Francesco Milioto
FROM THE CONDUCTOR
MACBETH
9
